Man stunned after discovering childhood Pokemon cards worth $44,000

Pokemon made its debut in North America in 1998 with the release of Red & Blue on the Game Boy. A year later, the Trading Card Game was introduced, and became an absolute worldwide phenomena.

Over 20 years later, a man from the UK discovered his childhood collection was now worth an eye-popping amount of money. The 34-year old plans to auction off the collection for thousands of dollars.

The Pokemon Company / SyFy

Classic Pokemon cards like these can now be worth a lot of money in the right condition.

Pokemon card collection worth $44k

For many, Pokemon was a major staple of their childhood. Who knew that someday opening all those booster packs would pay off. That is what happened to Nigel Brookes in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

According to LADbible, the father of three re-discovered his old collection and was floored when an auctioneer told him it was the “holy grail” and worth up to £35,000. Brooke’s revealed his binder of cards is a complete collection of the 1998 base set.

• Read More: Pokemon YouTuber stunned after postal service loses $55k card

However, what makes his collection even more valuable is that the entire collection is both 1st Edition and shadowless. “There are 103 cards in total, they are all in pristine condition and were bought direct from creators “Wizards Of The Coast” in the US,” he said.

According to Brookes, his mother gave the collection to him for his birthday in 1999. While the value of his collection was a shock to him, Pokemon cards have been increasing in value over the last five years. In May, YouTuber Lee ‘Leonhart’ Steinfeld pulled a 1st Edition Charizard worth up to $55k in front of viewers.

YouTube: Leonhart

Pokemon YouTuber Leonhart pulled a rare Charizard worth $55k.

It should be noted that the value of cards largely relies on their grading. Even pristine cards can have factory errors such as image centering and print lines, which drastically lower its cost. Still, Brookes has stated that he is selling his collection in the Lichfield Auction Centre on July 27.

Despite releasing decades ago, the Pokemon TCG has never been more popular. It’s not just classic cards that are going for an incredible amount of money, newer sets like Hidden Fates already are fetching a high price on eBay and in auction houses.

• Read More: Insanely rare Pokemon card sells for eye-popping $90,000

While it’s true that only certain cards are rare and worth a pretty sum, there is no harm in digging through your garage to find your old collection. Who knows, maybe you will get lucky like Brookes, and your childhood hobby will finally pay itself off.